NBA Playoffs 2012: Why the 76ers Have a Great Shot at Making the NBA Finals

An No. 8 seed in the NBA Finals? At the beginning of the playoffs, you would've thought I was crazy.

It still seems like a reach, but the 76ers have a good shot at it.

Thanks to Derrick Rose's injury, Philadelphia beat the Bulls in six games, winning Game 6 by one point on Andre Iguodala's two late free throws. The 76ers are now tied 2-2 with the Celtics in the second round.

The 76ers have great chemistry, and during the playoffs, they've solved an issue that haunted them throughout the regular season—winning close games. Five of Philadelphia's six playoff wins have come in tight games.

And it's all because young, inexperienced players like Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala have stepped up. Turner and Iggy's perimeter D, Holiday's big threes, Spencer Hawes' big layups and Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young's great bench play have the 76ers where they are right now.

Although they'll need to win at least one game in Boston to move on, they are definitely capable.

Philly is 2-3 on the road during the playoffs, winning one in Chicago and one in Boston. In Boston, they won by one, thanks to Evan Turner's game-winning layup and Kevin Garnett's illegal screen. In Chicago, they won by 17, thanks to 25 fast break points.

These 76ers will get into close games. Thanks to their recent ability to win them, they have a legitimate shot at beating the Celtics.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, they'd have to play the Heat or the Pacers. Both teams are strong, but they've both shown weaknesses. Without Chris Bosh, the Heat struggled mightily on the boards, and Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes could grab some key boards against Miami.

Indiana has struggled shooting, and the 76ers' playoff games have been low-scoring with a lot of defense. Turner and Iguodala are great on-ball defenders, and they contest every shot. Expect Indiana, the 24th best shooting team (in the regular season) to struggle if they play the Sixers.

As long as the 76ers out-rebound the Celtics (the NBA's worst rebounding team) and hold them to a low field goal percentage, they should emerge victorious. Wearing out Boston early in Game 5 could lead to a monster third or fourth quarter for Philly and a big win.

This team has great chemistry, and even though they finished 35-31 and currently stand as the No. 8 seed, they believe that they can win the East. If they keep rallying and coming through in the clutch, they can win the East.

It's all up to the young, inexperienced 76ers.